


Movie Night - Take One

by Churbooseanon



Series: For Every Action, A Reaction [4]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: M/M, Project Freelancer Beginnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-28
Updated: 2014-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-26 23:18:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1706198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Churbooseanon/pseuds/Churbooseanon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>North never remembers the plots to the movies. His mind is usually elsewhere.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Movie Night - Take One

“So what are we supposed to do around here for fun?”

The stern looking older man who was facing down the assembled mass of bodies actually seemed to freeze for half a moment at the question. Then it was gone, and the man's attention moved to the person who had actually dared to respond to 'any questions?' No, the man, _the Director,_ did more than just look at the poor soul who had dared interrupt his clear desire to dismiss them. He stalked over to the soldier in question and stared him down hard. 

“What was that, Agent...”

“New York,” the man who had introduced himself as the Counselor provided in that sickeningly smooth voice of his. 

“I was just wondering what we do for fun around here... Sir.” 

Nicolas—no, his name was North Dakota now, he needed to remember that—took a small shuffle-step back to try to get a glimpse of the idiot who had apparently managed to get on their superior's nerves day one. What he found wasn't what he expected. That sort of question had made him expect a younger guy, but from the creases on his forehead and the hard look he wore in the face of the stare down the Director was giving him made North Dakota—fuck that, North was easier and there only seemed to be one Carolina from he'd overheard while they were milling around, waiting for their first briefing—reevaluate that thought. Sure, there were quite a few people he had seen who struck him as young, but this New York wasn't one of them. 

“We are not in the business of entertaining you, Agent. We are at war and our work here is vital to success in those efforts. You are here to train and attempt to prove yourself worthy of the final cuts of our program. Do you understand?”

“Yep,” New York cheerfully agreed, and the Director took a step back, seeming satisfied. “But...”

Beside him North heard his sister groan. 

“If we do find ourselves in possession of some free time...”

“Dismissed,” the Director yelled rather than bothering to allow the man the rest of his question. 

“Five bucks that one doesn't last the week,” South—she wasn't going to like that name—mumbled beside him as the Director and Counselor strode from the room, leaving the new agents of Project Freelancer on their own for the rest of the day. Already they had been assigned code names, rooms, and even armor that had gone through its first round of fitting just before this meeting. 

North didn't know what possessed him to say, “Make it ten.”

* * * * * *

“This seat taken?” 

The familiar voice drew North's attention from the clearly half-hearted attempt at meatloaf that dominated his plate. Well, that and the way he could almost feel his sister tensing beside him. They hadn't even been here a full day and she was already bristling in the face of most of the other recruits. Wonderful. Still, North looked up and was met with the smiling face of the man who had dared mess up the Director's exit. The second look was enough to reaffirm North's earlier suspicions, though he mentally rounded the other man's age down to just below his own. 

“By all means,” North offered, and with a grin the dark-haired man slid in next to him. 

“Great,” South mumbled under her breath as New York offered his hand. 

“Name's...”

“New York,” North provided for him, taking the offered hand and giving it a good shake. New York's grip was as firm as his smile. “I know, heard it when you got chewed out.”

“Hardly a chewing out,” the other man chuckled, smile still on his lips. “I've had far worse, trust me. Anyway, New York is a bit of a mouthful. Just call me York. And you?”

“North Dakota,” he provided, before turning and gesturing to his sister. “And South Dakota.”

“Wow, talk about coincidence. I mean, ending up right next to each other. And you've both got the same...”

“Eyes,” North finished again, chuckling. “Happens when you're twins.”

“Woah! Really? Twins? Damn, you two work together or something?”

“Or something,” South grumbled, returning her attention to her meal.

“Don't let her bother you. She's always been a little... Gruff with new people.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” York laughed. “You want gruff, you should meet Carolina.”

“Carolina?” Already his whole meal was forgotten. “You actually know someone else here?”

“Not really,” York admitted, poking at the food on his plate. “Geez I think they had better stuff at the mess back where I was stationed before. Anyway, meet by chance a few nights before I shipped out, at a club of all places. Pretty impressive considering how up-tight she has struck me since we got here. All business.”

“A lot of people here are,” North pointed out. “Twenty-four people all thrust into a top-secret military research program with all the newest tech? Sort of a serious thing if you want to survive in the long term.”

“Word is they've got a second group training planet-side,” York said, leaning in conspiratorially. “Going to take the best of our group and the best of theirs to make their unit.”

“Wonderful, more competition,” South growled when she overheard York. North just remained silent as she extracted herself from the bench and strode off, leaving her tray behind. 

“Short temper on her,” York sighed, shaking his head. “If you don't mind me saying it, I feel for you, what with having to grow up around that.”

“She's not too bad, once you get to know her,” he said, frowning after his sister's retreating form. Then he returned his attention to York.

“Yeah, I have a feeling a lot of people here are going to be like that,” York admitted, turning his attention to the meal before him. “I mean, we're supposed to be the best of the best. Or at least as best as someone can get when you aren't raised by a secretive military enclave like the Spartans.”

“Well, at least you seem friendly enough to try and get past the tough fronts,” North observed, and found himself rewarded with a smile so wide that he thought York was about to tear his cheeks open. Still, the look was good when it was mixed with the short, messy brown hair, the strength to his jawline and the light in those gray eyes. 

“Takes some work, but I don't mind it. Getting to know a person is like working a really complicated lock. At first you're hesitant because you know know the right things. Is it really sensitive, is the action jerky, or does it flow smooth a silk below your hand? Then you really start to get the feel for it. Yeah, you still have to be cautious, and you have to take it slow, but then you've got it figured out enough to start leaping to conclusions. And, before you know it, the door swings open and the treasures behind it are right there for the taking.”

North just smirked at the way York was waxing positively eloquent. “Infiltrations expert?”

“Yeah, how'd ya guess?” York teased. “You?”

“Sniper, though with a good deal of closer range combat. And I'm pretty sure you just described a lock as if you're trying to get it to have sex with you, so it seemed like a logical guess.”

“You know, I never thought of it like that,” York laughed, still smiling. “But I think I'd rather something with a bit more flesh on it than a lock.”

“Good luck finding that,” North said with a shake of his head. “If the Director is that disparaging of entertainment, then I can't imagine he's going to give you time off to go on a bar crawl.”

“So I'll have to look closer to home.”

Surprisingly North managed not to start choking on his sub-par meatloaf when his mind decided to take the comment the complete wrong way. “Even more luck with that. If South and that Carolina you were talking about are any indication of the women who made it into this program, they might rip your arms off just for suggesting that sort of thing.”

“Maybe they will. But where's the fun in not trying?”

Where indeed.

* * * * * *

“So you coming?” York asked as he plopped down beside North, tray in hand and mug of coffee already halfway to his lips. 

“Huh?” North found his head jerking up suddenly at York's question, as it did almost every meal. Despite South's best attempts York had seemingly adopted the two of them into his circle over the course of their first week of training. Which meant that York graced them with his presence every meal, dragging a few others like Utah and Georgia with him when he did. South seemed to take as much offense at that as she did at the earlier news that York had survived the first string of cuts that had brought their group down to twenty. Of course North had been thankful for both; it meant more time around the attractive recruit and a crisp ten in his pocket—for all that he had no where to spend it.

“Must be a really interesting sandwich,” Georgia quipped at him as he took off his helmet and stowed it under the bench like they all did at meals. Even with four less people the cafeteria was still too crowded for people to casually strew their gear around. 

“Too dry,” North responded before turning his attention back to York. “What was that?”

“Movie night,” York cheerfully declared, saluting Utah and Georgia with his mug. The too returned it with glasses full of juice. 

“You've got to be kidding me,” South grumbled. “The Director...”

“Has actually given me permission to set up here in the cafeteria if I can get at least eight people in on it,” York cut her off triumphantly. “Right now I've got absolute okays for tonight from Utah and Georgia, Connie's given me the go ahead provided it isn't, and I quote, 'romantic drivel,' and that Maine guy even said yes. If you two join in I've only got to find one more to confirm us for tonight.”

“Don't even think about it,” South grumbled under her breath at North.

“Absolutely,” he answered despite the implied threat in her voice. “I can ask Colorado for you. We're up for some hand-to-hand after lunch.”

“Then we're golden,” York smiled. 

“You still need one more,” South growled as she stood and, as always, walked away without taking care of her tray. York, as he did at every meal, gave North a pitying look, knowing that he would clean up after his sister. 

“Well, looks like we're going to have to cast the net a little wider,” York observed before taking a large swig of his coffee. “I'll figure it out and get word to you once I've got it all confirmed. Sound good?”

North nodded in agreement. “But, one quick question? Why are you even doing this?”

York wasn't the kind of guy for quick explanations. North enjoyed watching York as he animatedly described his reasoning over the course of two cups of coffee and a ham sandwich. 

* * * * * *

The third week had brought their numbers down to fifteen, and left ample space in the cafeteria for everyone to spread out. South had claimed her own table, which few people dared to question given her temper. York still kept his group near North, though the four of them could spread out more at their table than they had before. It also meant that York didn't sit so close anymore, but North was just happy for the company. Things had gotten... tense since the Director had instituted the leader board system, and had set a lot of the connections that had been building up between people on their heads. Only York's little group seemed untouched. 

“Got some bad news, North,” York said with a sigh as he checked the seals on his gloves. “A change of plans.”

“What's up?” North asked, making sure his helmet was secure. He was afraid of what York was going to say next.

“We're bleeding movie fans.”

“Not shocking considering the movies you pick.”

“Everyone's a critic,” York chuckled as he stretched a bit. “Anyway, we've got a change of venue. If you're still up for it, we're meeting in my room at the usual time. Utah, Georgia and Connie are all gonna be there.”

“It's going to be cramped,” North observed as he backed away from York a bit. 

“Yeah, but look at it this way,” York said, a smile in his voice as he slipped into a defensive stance, “You'll have a soft place to sit after I kick your ass.”

“I'd like to see you try,” North came back, knowing he was smiling. Sparring sessions with York always got his pulse racing. The other man was damn good. 

“Then don't blink. This won't take long.”

* * * * * *

Cramped didn't begin to cover York's room with five people all trying to focus on a single, relatively small television. It hardly helped that Connie refused to let the guys sit too close to her, and Utah and Georgia were both understandably afraid of her. Utah and Connie took up spots on the floor, with a good bit of space between them, and Georgia joined York and North on the bed.

York had let the others vote on the movie that night, putting them through a new round of terribly poor action films from the early twenty-first century. North had been too distracted by the fact that this was the first time movie-night had been casual dress. By the fact that his leg was, by dint of not having enough space, pressed right up against York's. 

He couldn't have told anyone what the first movie was about. Georgia left before the second, giving York and North more space to spread out. The second movie he didn't remember because he spent it trying to remember just how it felt to have that warm leg pressed up against his own. 

It was official. North had it, and he had it bad, for a fellow soldier who would never so much as look his way, considering how much attention he paid to Carolina. The question was how he was going to deal with it. Because he couldn't keep going on like this. 

* * * * * *

“York...” 

“Shhh, this is my favorite part,” York insisted, leaning closer as he did so. It was the second time York had brushed him off since the movie had started, and far from the first time he'd done it this last week and a half. The last three movie-nights had been... awkward to say the least. Partially because Connie had gotten frustrated and withdrawn a bit. Partially because Utah was still in the infirmary because he'd pissed South off too badly during a pugil stick fight. And Georgia... Well, North didn't have an explanation for his absence. But for the last three nights it had been just him and York.

And he was getting his hopes up. 

It was something in the way that York seemed to sprawl out more than usual, his leg bumping into North's no small number of times. Something in the way that York's hand kept brushing against his when he reached for the popcorn bowl between them. Everything in the way that York's eyes turned to him and seemed to linger on his lips when he thought North wasn't paying attention. They were all the little things that North had caught himself on more than once, that he'd learned not to do. 

Then there was the movie choice for the night. An old 1980s film about a safecracker who just wanted a chance to settle down and have a family. North wanted to attach what he was watching to York, wanted to add it to all the other little details. Wanted too...

A motion caught out of the corner of his eye drew North away from that line of thought. Or, at least, part of that line of thought. Because from what he could tell York was moving, leaning in and...

Impulse and hope made North meet him halfway. York's hand dove into North's hair, and when he tugged gently North took it as a cue to lean in further. Still, North didn't touch, kept his hands on the bed and not on York because he had to give him a chance. Had to let him set the pace, have the chance to stop this, to pretend it didn't happen. He'd made the mistake of being too eager once before. It was a pain he didn't want to repeat anytime soon.

At last York pushed him away and met his eyes, his cheeks an amazing shade of red, and his lips moist and tempting. North withdrew immediately, resuming his position a good distance away from York. That didn't mean he looked away, though.

“I was right,” York said after a long moment, a smile curving his lips. 

“About?” 

“Your lips are perfect. I could kiss them all night.” 

Almost immediately York leaned in as if to prove his point, and North let himself be guided down onto the bed, their lips pressed together hard. North, for what it was worth, tangled his fists in York's shirt, keeping the other man close. At length York pulled away again, just a little bit, and North found himself on the receiving end of York's warmest smile yet. 

“Feels like I've been waiting forever to do that,” York confessed, his voice breathier than North had ever heard it before. 

“What about Carolina?” North asked, still not untangling his hands from York's shirt. If this was all he was going to get, he knew he wanted to keep it as long as he could manage. “You've been making eyes at her since day one.”

“A man can appreciate beauty like that and still be afraid of going after it.”

“And this?” He tried hard to keep the concern out of his voice, and was almost proud to have managed it. 

“Some things you don't let slip through your fingers, no matter how terrified you are of the consequences,” York offered. “I had you pegged for that for a while.”

“Any particular reason?”

“A hundred. I'll tell you one a day if you give me the chance.”

North couldn't help but chuckle at that, and York's expression quickly shifted from amused to hurt. 

“Romantic sap,” North accused. 

“Yeah, but who knows how long we've got,” York responded, leaning down to press a kiss against North's jaw. “One or both of us could be cut from this program any day. The tech we're supposed to start testing next week is highly experimental, which usually means dangerous. And even if we make it through both of those things, this is still a war we're talking about. If I've got to steal my romance, one day at a time, I'm going to.”

“Sounds right up your alley,” North groaned as York's lips trailed down his neck, and warm fingers snuck their way up under the hem of his shirt. 

“Well, this is one lock I intend to master,” York whispered against his collarbone. “Because I've spent the last month imagining the treasures behind it and I'm hungry for them.”

“I'm not something to be conquered,” North warned him, even as he propped himself up on his elbows to help York lift his shirt up more. 

“No... Something as powerful as you is meant to be tamed,” York agreed, pulling back long enough to drag off his shirt, and allow North the same. 

“Let's go for worshiped,” North countered with a chuckle as someone in the movie started to shout. Strange, he couldn't pick out who it was. Looks like he was losing another movie's plot line to watching York. At least this time it was a far more entertaining line of distraction. 

“If that's what it takes to get you to let me fuck you silly, then I'll start right now,” York purred, and before North could respond he found York leaning back down, seemingly intent on kissing playful circles around his nipples. 

North swallowed another groan and tilted his head back.

“Well... If that's what you want,” he finally gasped out, cheeks red and his body squirming from York's attention, “the by all means... Fuck me, Silly.”

When he met York's eyes again he could see the hunger there. 

“Good thing movie night got moved to my room. You'll have somewhere soft to rest after I wear you down,” York whispered as he moved up for another kiss. 

“I'd like to see you try.”

The smile on York's face was huge as he pulled away and North watched the other man take a chance to run his eyes appreciatively over North's body. 

“Then keep your eyes open, North, because this could take all night.”

A response died on North's lips as he felt one of York's hands ghost over his crotch. The barely there touch made him certain that the boast wouldn't be met. But he'd be damned if he didn't try.


End file.
